Easter Sensory Bin

I’m always seeing these sensory bins on Pinterest and while they look really pretty, I was skeptical as to how much it would really keep the boys interested.  I decided to try one out for Easter.  As I started to put it together, I thought more and more of its possibilities… I started to really love the idea.  So, what exactly is a sensory bin?  It’s basically a box of random items that provide different sensory experiences (different colors, textures, uses) for a child - things they can play with and explore.  The traditional sensory bin that I’ve used with my students is a box filled with rice and/or beans in which you can bury some small toys for the children to find.  The sensory bins that I’ve seen lately are a bit more creative.  You can choose a theme for your sensory bin – think: dinosaurs, summer, insects, ocean – and just add anything related to the theme.  Since my boys just love to dig, I thought rummaging through a sensory bin might be exciting for them after all.  One of my favorite parts is that you can create it in a sealable box.  When you’re little ones are done playing just close it up.  They want to play again the next day, just take it out and pull off the cover.  Keeping a sensory bin made at all times is sure to give you a go to when everyone’s getting bored.  The language possibilities are really endless.  With so much to FIND, SEE, SMELL, TOUCH, PRETEND WITH, IMAGINE WITH, COUNT, SORT and CATEGORIZE, there is tons to talk about!

I literally decided to try my first sensory bin while scrolling through Pinterest when I woke up this morning, so I was limited in using things I already had around the house.  The good news is, since the box is now made and kept, I can add to it before taking it out again.  I decided on an Easter theme, since the boys are getting psyched for the next holiday and it’s something they could play with for the next month.  Here’s what I used:

Large, clear bin

Cotton balls (I told the boys these were bunny tails)

Prickly pom poms

Easter grass

Foam Easter shapes

Plastic bunnies (they were the pins from an Easter bowling game)

Shiny rhinestones

Feathers (from the baby chicks of course!)

Pipe cleaners in spring colors

Silly string (I added this last minute and it was perfect – very different in texture and it’s actually cold too!)

 

I put all the supplies into the bin and mixed it up.  Before I gave it to the boys, I put down my clear under the highchair mat in their play space.  I knew there was no way all that stuff wasn’t going to end up on the floor.  The mat would definitely save me some clean up time! 

 

The boys were super excited to see what was in the box.  They tore right into it.  I had to slow them down a bit because at first they just wanted to dump everything out immediately.  I wanted them to explore for a little while before doing that though.  I combed through the grass myself and we started talking about what we SAW and how it FELT.  The boys were curious about what the Easter grass was and definitely the silly string.  They DESCRIBED the silly string as being sticky and cold.  It was really exciting every time someone pulled something new out of the box. 

 

We played a little “I SPY.”  It’s adorable to me to hear Anthony say, “I spy with my little eye…”  Even Michael tries to say it now and points to his little eye to help get his point across.  We tried the “bunny tails” on ourselves and PRETENDED to be bunnies.  We tickled each other with BLUE feathers, YELLOW feathers, and PURPLE feathers.  We used the pipe cleaners to make different SHAPES.  We found items by COLOR… “Find anything that’s green.”  We started hiding toys in the Easter grass and Anthony even tried to hide himself!

After about a half hour of playing and chatting, the boys got out their construction vehicles!  I had a feeling that would happen!  It gave me some time to sneak away and take care of some chores, which is another huge plus with this activity.  Most everything was eventually dumped out of the sensory bin but the boys enjoyed cleaning it up too (which made me one happy mommy).  I closed up the box and told them it would be ready for them to play another day.  I am sure it won’t be long before the boys ask me to take it out again!  I’m planning on adding some new items – plastic Easter eggs, Easter stickers, fake flowers, and whatever else I find when running my errands. 

 

Later on, I took some of the stuff from the sensory bin and put it in an Easter basket for Matthew (6 ½ months to explore).  He enjoyed grabbing at what was in the basket and was especially fascinated by the pipe cleaner!  Just make sure if you try something like this with your littlest one, he/she is closely supervised.  Their first way to explore is by mouthing so be really careful!

Glad I finally tried out my own sensory bin!  Wish I would have done it sooner, but now that I have, I have a ton of ideas for sensory bins of the future!  Let me know what you include in your sensory bin!

 

Love & Language,

Marisa